'I love being the leader of the Toronto Raptors' -- Masai Ujiri sticking around long-term in Toronto - Toronto Sun | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Sports

'I love being the leader of the Toronto Raptors' — Masai Ujiri sticking around long-term in Toronto – Toronto Sun

Published

 on


Article content

The Toronto Raptors might have lost Kyle Lowry, but the other face of the franchise is sticking around long-term.

Advertisement

Article content

Masai Ujiri, the team’s president, has agreed to a long-term deal, the Raptors confirmed Thursday. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the contract elevates Ujiri to vice-chairman of the Raptors and the team confirmed.

“I love being the leader of the Toronto Raptors. I am here to stay,” Ujiri said in a statement.

Ujiri was only 42 in 2013 when he was lured back to Toronto from the Denver Nuggets to run the Raptors. Since then, he has built the franchise into a force in the Eastern Conference and eventually the 2019 NBA champions. The bold trade of franchise icon DeMar DeRozan for eventual Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green became his signature move.

Ujiri has since preached that the work isn’t done. He does not want to stop at just one championship for the Raptors.

Advertisement

Article content

He consistently put off signing a new deal with the club and, most recently, at a season-ending media availability in May, was not shy about asking for Raptors ownership, the NBA and the Canadian government to step up in terms of committing to doing what it takes to chase further championships; doing more to recognize and support the unique needs of Canada’s only NBA franchise and getting the team back to its real home, respectively.

The Raptors announced in February that general manager Bobby Webster had signed a multi-year extension. Webster became GM in June 2017, not long after Jeff Weltman left for the Orlando Magic.

Ujiri had long said taking care of his team was important to him — and the first order of business before his own deal.

Advertisement

Article content

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

“My staff is pretty much done and there’s just been so much … honestly, it’s not a matter of like not doing it, I think there’s just been so much that I know I’ve pushed it out until I think we get through a lot of this,” Ujiri had said before the temporary move to Tampa.

Advertisement

Article content

“It’s just so much going on with this relocation and the focus and I don’t want to be distracted that way but in terms of staff, there was even some distraction with that, because Bobby was the last one but I think we are sealing it. There’s no issues, so, I would consider that done soon enough,” Ujiri said.

Two months later, Webster’s deal was completed.

“I go into this thing with a very positive mind and attitude and we hope that it goes that way,” Ujiri had said months ago about a return to the Raptors.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment co-owner Larry Tanenbaum had consistently said he expected Ujiri to be back.

“Great sportsmen impact their games. Great leaders impact their communities. Masai Ujiri does both, and we’re very pleased he is returning to the Raptors as vice-chairman and president,” Tanenbaum said in a statement Thursday. “Masai and MLSE share the goals of bringing another NBA Championship to Toronto, and off the court, working towards making our city, country and world a better place. These are exciting times, and we look forward to all that comes next for our team, for Masai and for his family. Masai, we’re glad you’re staying home.”

Advertisement

Article content

USA TODAY FILES” class=”embedded-image__image lazyload” data-src=”https://smartcdn.prod.postmedia.digital/torontosun/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/KAWHI-e1628191648308.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288″ data-srcset=”https://smartcdn.prod.postmedia.digital/torontosun/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/KAWHI-e1628191648308.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,
https://smartcdn.prod.postmedia.digital/torontosun/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/KAWHI-e1628191648308.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x” height=”699″ loading=”lazy” src=”https://smartcdn.prod.postmedia.digital/torontosun/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/KAWHI-e1628191648308.jpg?quality=5&strip=all&w=100″ width=”1000″>
Trading fan favourite DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard (above), who led the Raptors to the NBA title in 2019, remains Masai Ujiri’s signature moves. He has long insisted he wants to bring another NBA championship to Toronto> USA TODAY FILES

Right after the Raptors won the 2019 championship, Wojnarowski reported that the Washington Wizards were tabling a massive offer to Ujiri. Tanenbaum said at the time, “I know Masai, he’s like my son. There is no chance he’s leaving Toronto … I think if you ask Masai, he’s got everything he wants.”

Tanenbaum is chairman of the Raptors, Ujiri will now become vice-chairman, a rarity for non-team owners. (Tanenbaum is also chairman of the board of the NBA, the first Canadian to hold that title). The Toronto Maple Leafs do not have a vice-chairman. Brendan Shanahan holds the president and alternate governor titles for the Leafs and Ujiri already held those titles on the Raptors side before his new deal.

The Raptors will officially see Lowry head to the Miami Heat on Friday in a sign-and-trade deal.

Losing Ujiri too would have been an equally bitter pill for the Toronto fan base.

Instead, he will preside over a retool, mixing the existing solid core, which has championship-level experience, with up-and-coming talent like fourth overall draft selection Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent and Precious Achiuwa, who is the key return in the Lowry deal.

rwolstat@postmedia.com

Advertisement

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

Adblock test (Why?)



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

French league’s legal board orders PSG to pay Kylian Mbappé 55 million euros of unpaid wages

Published

 on

 

The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.

The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.

PSG officials and Mbappé’s representatives met in Paris on Wednesday after Mbappé asked the commission to get involved. Mbappé joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer.

___

AP soccer:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

News

Reggie Bush was at his LA-area home when 3 male suspects attempted to break in

Published

 on

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.

The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.

Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

B.C. Lions lean on versatile offence to continue win streak against Toronto Argonauts

Published

 on

 

VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.

Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.

The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.

“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”

He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.

Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.

The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.

“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.

The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.

“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”

Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.

“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”

While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.

“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.

“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”

Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.

Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.

“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”

The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.

A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.

Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.

“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”

TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)

Friday, B.C. Place

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.

CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version